Shattered Light
by Lord Panda
Summary: "Itachi, go with her to the Hokage's office." "What?" Touya protested. "You don't trust me?" "Let's just say I trust Itachi more. Bye, kids." ItachiOC.
1. From the Start

**Chapter 1: From the Start**

"Ah, Itachi."

Itachi didn't want to wake up. But the sound of his name caused him to slowly blink his eyes open. Normally, he'd have given a faster reaction, but he recognized the chakra signature of the man long before the man found him in the tree enjoying a peaceful nap. And although Itachi knew it was rude to keep the man waiting, he permitted himself a few seconds to allow his eyes to adjust. The sunlight pouring through the gently swaying leaves were stronger now that it was closer to noon. It hurt a bit with his sensitive eyes, but it quickly subsided. The shadows of leaves were so pleasant to look at though. The leaves appeared as shadowy shapes and the juxtaposition of the hot white light formed a jigsaw puzzle in the sky.

But enough dawdling. Breaking himself from his reverie, Itachi pulled himself up to a sitting posture. Leaning his back against the trunk of the tree, Itachi looked down and matched his pair of eyes to the intruder's own single visible eye.

"Kakashi-senpai," he greeted with a polite smile. Always so cordial.

"Sorry to disturb you," Kakashi apologized without sincerity. But fair enough, Itachi shouldn't have been sleeping in a tree to begin with. He really should have been helping his father with clan business, whether it was helping the younger members master the Fire Ball Jutsu or tending to police force paperwork. And he probably will come to do that on a different day. Today Itachi just wanted to nap until it was time to pick up Sasuke from the Academy and so, under the guise of training to his parents, he nestled himself in a tree at least five miles away from the Uchiha compound. He did train, of course—just for far shorter than his parents might have anticipated.

"Not at all," Itachi smiled. He hopped out of the tree in one swift movement, landing silently on the pavement. It looked almost unnatural how not a single leaf in the tree was disturbed—a true testament to Itachi's prowess as a shinobi. He was a child prodigy. The prided son and heir of the Uchiha clan. "How may I help you?"

"It's ANBU business," Kakashi answered in an almost drawl; he didn't sound particularly enthusiastic about whatever it was he was doing. "Not an official mission-just need to deliver a message to someone—an annoyingly elusive ANBU operator. Figured since I saw you, I might as well enlist your eyes to help. Can you track down Touya?"

Itachi's reaction was delayed. He had never heard of this person. That was odd. He knew most of the ANBU members. He was, after all, initiated into the ANBU early. He knew nearly anyone ranked chunin and up, having worked with them for nearly all his life.

"Sorry, I don't believe I know him," Itachi maintained a tone as even as ever.

It was Kakashi's turn to be surprised.

"Her, actually," he corrected. "Huh. Thought you'd know her since you two are around the same age."

His age and an ANBU member at that? Itachi narrowed his eyes, genuinely baffled how this could have escaped his notice. He was on friendly terms with nearly everyone. He wasn't particularly close with any of them aside from Shisui, but he had good relations with most ANBU members.

"Well," Kakashi started, as though giving it some thought for the first time. "She is newly initiated," he admitted.

That might explain it. Itachi decided he probably wasn't going to be much use to Kakashi in finding this Touya. But this was a good opportunity to meet this "elusive" shinobi.

"Allow me to accompany you then," Itachi offered. "As a captain, I'd like to welcome her to our ranks." Kakashi shrugged. It was always good to befriend your colleagues. It helped with mission teamwork.

"Sure," Kakashi accepted. "I guess we'll just walk around until we run into her. Not going to lie though—this might take a while. Touya's specialty is hiding."

"It's not a problem," Itachi insisted. With his Sharingan, Itachi was confident she'd be found in no time. As they started their search, Itachi figured he needed to ask some questions first. "So what does Touya look like? Where is she usually? What is her chakra signature like?"

Kakashi sighed. "You're asking all the important and difficult questions, Itachi."

* * *

As it turned out, it was Itachi who found her. She had been sitting outside a cafe, sipping her afternoon tea leisurely. It seemed that part of her had simply been waiting to be found and part of her had gotten hungry. Itachi made a mental note to check out the store's tea snacks on a later date.

"Touya," Kakashi addressed sternly. He took a few authoritative steps towards her as Itachi stood back patiently watching the exchange.

Touya sighed dramatically with overly exaggerated annoyance.

"I know, you found me, you win, though I believe it's a bit unfair to enlist someone else's help. Nonetheless, I'll take the mission scroll," Touya accepted with a smile, acting the part of a graceful loser.

But Kakashi was not amused. "Mission work is not a game."

Itachi silently agreed.

"Fair enough. Forgive me; it's my first mission," Touya replied easily.

And it was precisely because it was her first mission. She had transferred from a different ninja subdivision to the main branch of ANBU. Because the Hokage had not been in direct command of her before, she would not be entrusted with anything of importance for her first mission. Nothing urgent, nothing dangerous, nothing confidential. It would take time for the Hokage to build some trust in her. And this allowed her the confidence to play a game of hide-and-seek with Kakashi, whose timing at the Hokage's office left him the unfortunate assignment of delivering Touya's mission to her.

"I'm accustomed to being told my orders directly in person and from my master himself," Touya explained with a shrug, as she casually opened up the scroll to give it a glance over.

"I know," Kakashi replied. "And that's how it will work in ANBU too. But just because the orders aren't in person doesn't mean you can ignore them."

"I understand," Touya sighed. Really, she did. She wouldn't do this for her second mission or anything after that. "It's just because it was the first mission... and a stupid mission, at that," she added upon finishing looking over the scroll's contents and started rolling it up again.

It was a stupid and immature reason, but Kakashi gave up arguing. It looked like he at least trusted her not to do it again. Itachi, on the other hand, frowned at her words. He could never do that; the village, no matter what, was far too important to him. But her actions were no longer up for discussion; it was time to move on.

"Right. Well, hey, this is Itachi. He's an ANBU captain. You guys might be working together. Thought you should know since you two are around the same age."

The young Uchiha who had been patiently waiting for his turn finally stepped forward.

"A pleasure," Itachi bowed. "I look forward to working with you."

"And this, Itachi, is Touya, a lazy, overconfident and recently inducted ANBU operative who lacks even a quarter of your maturity and skill and doesn't deserve the right to be a ninja."

"That's a little harsh..."

"Hardly," Kakashi said dismissively, "Well, you kids have fun. Don't forget about your mission, Touya."

"Oh, yes, the all-important D-rank mission of going to the Hokage's office to pick up my ANBU uniform," Touya rolled her eyes. "I think I got this. Later, senpai."

Kakashi started to turn away, but giving the two one last look, decided to add, "Itachi, go with her to the Hokage's office."

"What?" Touya protested. "You don't trust me?"

"Let's just say I trust Itachi more. Bye, kids," and with that, Kakashi sped away, leaving Touya gritting her teeth at the space he had occupied.

"Well," Itachi said awkwardly, "Shall we go now?"

* * *

 **A/N:** Oops, accidentally started another story. "Accidentally." But I love Itachi too much.

Sorry if this was confusing. Touya's ability will be revealed in the next chapter! Just thought it was a lengthy explanation so I should wait.

Story will mostly follow canon (manga). I might miss a few details since I sort of stopped paying attention after Itachi died for the second time, lol. But hopefully, nothing after Itachi's second death will affect this story.


	2. Like Water

**Chapter 2: Like Water**

They decided to take the slow way to the Hokage's office. That meant walking leisurely on the roads as opposed to leaping from rooftop to rooftop. Touya had let her anger go fairly quickly after Kakashi left, but proclaimed quietly she would punch the man next time she saw him. Itachi did not comment.

They walked silently side by side for a few blocks. Touya surveyed some of the shop windows, occasionally humming at the price tag as though contemplating whether to buy the item or not. Sometimes a shop owner or two would call out to Itachi. Most of them were older women fawning over the handsome young boy, telling him to visit anytime for a discount. Itachi, of course, insisted he couldn't accept the generous offers, but would come around to see them again next time. That greatly pleased them.

Touya, who watched the exchanges with her eyebrows quirked up, thought with amusement Itachi was very popular. But not wanting to intrude on Itachi's conversations with the villagers, she mostly ignored them and feigned interest in the sky.

Unbeknownst to her, Itachi, when not conversing with the elderly ladies, was watching her silently too.

When they turned on one of the quieter streets far away from the shopping district, Itachi spoke up.

"How do you do it?" Itachi suddenly asked. He hoped it wasn't too forward a question. But perhaps it was since Touya flinched in surprise; she hadn't expected him to say anything.

"Do what?" Touya asked innocently. Unsure if the topic would be breaching her privacy, Itachi hesitated, but decided to continue anyway; it seemed too late to back out.

"Your chakra. It changes," Itachi said softly as he peered down at her bright eyes. They were a dark shade of amber, a little more red than gold in color. His own obsidian eyes were reflected in her golden pools of warm, rich color. Itachi quite liked the color; it reminded him of a hearth. But he doesn't stare long because soon she tore her gaze away.

"Oh, that," she tilted her head to the side. "Hmm…" Touya struggled to answer him. Rather, it seemed to Itachi she was debating with herself whether she should tell him or not. He probably shouldn't have asked; it wasn't appropriate for a first meeting.

"You don't have to answer," Itachi quickly retracted, smiling apologetically.

"No, that's not it," Touya shook her head. She bit her lip, deep in thought. Suddenly, Touya suggested, "How about you answer me this first: how did you find me?"

Now it was Itachi's turn to blink at her question. "Simple. We found the man whose chakra signature you copied and found you when we sensed it a second time," he replied.

"Ah, that's good. I thought I put enough distance between myself and him so no one would notice. Your range must be better than mine. Or you're good at recognizing chakra signatures."

"I'm an Uchiha."

Somehow, that explained a lot.

"So it was you! You found me. Damn, it seems Kakashi really did cheat by asking you for help," Touya tossed her head back and laughed. Itachi again frowned when reminded Touya had avoided her mission earlier. But without noticing, she started talking again.

"Look, I don't know how I do it. It's just something I can do. I can change my chakra signature." And to prove her point, she started doing it. Itachi felt a pull of something and then started to sense the shift in chakra in her. It was odd to feel, since it had never been done before in his presence. It was like feeling and knowing someone was there and in a matter of seconds, that person was replaced with another completely different individual and there was no trace of the former. In this case, Itachi realized, she had changed into his own chakra signature.

"To me, it feels like... water changing. If my chakra was water in a lake, then changing it is like forcing a current of new water through the lake and suddenly the water is different. It's still my chakra—it's the same water—but the composition changed because of the new water. But I can't just create new water, of course. I need to drain a bit of someone else's. You probably felt a pull earlier, right? That was me stealing your chakra, sorry. Most people don't feel it, but if you have a talent for chakra control and sensory, you might feel a pull."

"I see," Itachi pondered. As she expounded on her ability, he took mental notes. He was seeing all the advantages to the idea of changing chakra signatures. She could go nearly anywhere undetected. She could impersonate anyone by changing her signature and then her appearance with a simple transformation jutsu. She would be invaluable during recon missions and infiltration missions. But what were the limits?

"Can you revert back to an old chakra signature? For example, you're mimicking my signature now, but could you go back to the man's signature you had stolen earlier?"

Touya bit her lip, wondering if she was telling Itachi too much for a first meeting. But damn, she was having trouble saying no to him…

"Yes and no. I can't recall the signature without help, but I have ways of recalling certain signatures."

 _Ah._ Itachi decided to venture a guess. "You store their chakra on you? Like through seals and scrolls?"

Damn, he was good. "Yes."

"Hmm…"Itachi found himself intrigued by the topic. Could her shadow clones change their signatures too? How long can she maintain her chakra signatures? How much chakra did she need for a change?

Touya waited for the questions passively. Itachi was a nice and friendly person and all, but the only reason she was indulging him with answers was because he outranked her and she would probably come to work with him eventually. Might as well tell him now; it didn't make a difference. So she watched Itachi as he gazed ahead inattentively as several questions ran through his mind. It was almost cute how honestly curious he seemed.

"So what's your own signature like?" Itachi asked suddenly. Touya blinked in surprise. That… was personal. She had not been expecting a question more about her than her ability. It was flattering to some extent though, how he seemed to be curious about her as a person just as much as her technique. Unfortunately, it seemed now was the time to steel herself and refuse Itachi. She couldn't tell him.

"Sorry, I can't. It's a safety measure. In case I ever need to go in hiding suddenly or I choose to retire, my own chakra signature will at least be one signature few—if anyone at all—will recognize. I'll be safe," Touya explained with a softer look. She hoped he would understand. And of course, Itachi did.

"That makes sense. I'm sorry for asking."

Itachi seemed so genuinely apologetic, Touya didn't know how to respond except with a wave of her hand and a quick, "It's nothing."

Itachi managed to get over his initial curiosity after the last question and refrained from asking anymore for the remainder of their walk. Instead, he brought up other topics of conversation: ANBU missions, stories of his brother, and in the interest of fair exchange, he mentioned a few basic details about the Sharingan. Of course, it was a clan secret so he couldn't reveal much, but he told her as much as he could.

"So even if you only have the first tomoe, you can easily copy techniques simply from observation."

"Yes, it's how Kakashi-senpai got his nickname 'Copy Ninja Kakashi.'"

"Hmm, senpai seems like the type to have more than one tomoe though. He probably has more, right? He never talks about his Sharingan with me. Why doesn't he tell me these things?" Touya sighed, feigning hurt at being neglected.

"He did say he trusted me more than you," Itachi joked amiably.

"Tch," Touya rolled her eyes. "Do seven years of knowing each other amount to nothing for that guy? You know, once he…"

Itachi listened politely as Touya garbled on about Kakashi and all his vices. It was obvious that despite their bad-mouthing each other, Kakashi and Touya were close. Touya smiled and laughed as she recounted all of the horrible memories of the snowy-haired ninja. Occasionally, she glanced at Itachi as though to make sure he was still there and she would smile and tuck her bluish hair out of her face and neck and Itachi would notice in passing she had a tattoo of some sort on her neck. It was an intricate black band of some sort that would be hidden by her silver choker had it not been wriggled out of place with all the wild movements Touya used while discussing Kakashi.

Actually, now that he noticed, he can see she had a lot of tattoos. One around each wrist, one on the back of her left hand and a smaller one encircling her right pinky that he had passed for a ring earlier on.

It occurred to him they all resembled seals. Were they the seals she used to store chakra of others? Maybe something else? It could always be of some sort of sentimental value.

Touya, although deeply invested in the one-way conversation about the walking embodiment of assholery that was Kakashi, noticed Itachi eyeing her choker. Maybe he wanted to know where she got the pretty piece of silver jewelry, but the more likely explanation was that he noticed what's underneath it. Fortunately, Touya got out of talking about it.

Touya abruptly stopped talking and walking altogether. She swiveled around, turning her back to the red building that was the Hokage's office. "We're here," she announced cheerfully. Then, more apologetically, "I'm sorry for the trouble. Kakashi has trust issues. It comes with… well, his personality. He's just a natural asshole."

"It was nothing," Itachi insisted kindly, again ignoring the comment about Kakashi. "I'll see you again."

Touya nodded and bowed. Then, with a controlled push of chakra to her feet, she leapt to the window of the Hokage's office and disappeared.

Itachi's eyes lingered at the window where she was last seen. He noticed something when she was bidding him farewell. A flash of black just as she was talking… Perhaps…

He let himself watch the window for a moment longer and then, with a shake of his head and a sharp turn on his heels, he started heading away.

It was time to pick up Sasuke.

* * *

"Hokage-sama," Touya lowered herself humbly before the Third Hokage. Her humorous disposition from before faded away and she now presented herself properly as a serious shinobi. Well, it was only appropriate. Itachi was simply a boy her age and the Hokage was her direct superior who has been entrusted with protecting the village. She should act accordingly.

"Touya," the old man greeted. He stopped scratching his pen on the papers before him and instead set his attention on the young shinobi kneeling in front of his desk. He gestured for her to rise so Touya stood up, back straight and expression unchanging.

"This is our second meeting, isn't it? We met for the ANBU placement interview and you were ordered to come see me this morning, but missed your appointment—on purpose, I hear—and now I'm supposed to trust you with confidential missions regarding the safety of this village because you are ANBU."

Well, when he put it like that…

"My apologies, sir," Touya responded, looking sideways guiltily.

"I was warned you'd be hard to track," he sighed, "I suppose it's a testament to your ability how long it took for Kakashi to find you. When did he finally track you down?"

Touya hesitated. "It wasn't Kakashi. Well, it was, but Kakashi asked a boy named Itachi for help. Itachi found me… about an hour ago."

The Hokage raised his eyebrows in interest. "Itachi?" He smiled affectionately at the name and chuckled. "Itachi's quite the talent, isn't he?"

Touya nodded in agreement, although thinking she couldn't really be sure since she had only known Itachi for a day and only knew he was both an ANBU captain and an Uchiha… and had a talent for chakra sensory… and he was the same age as her.

That _was_ impressive. How did she not notice earlier? She doubted she even knew half of what there was to him.

"What do you think of him?" the Hokage inquired, getting up from his seat to stand by the window. He pulled out a pipe and started smoking it, blowing the gray clouds outside. "Maybe I'll pair the two of you on missions. I can trust Itachi to watch over you."

Did everyone trust Itachi over her? That kind of hurt.

Although she held an expression of irritation, she could see the Hokage was seriously waiting for an answer.

With a sigh, she answered, "He seems honest and caring. I like him fine. He's a good person." Then, with a moment of thought, she decided to add, "Better than me."

The Hokage looked at her curiously. The pipe held in his hand continued to puff smoke though the Hokage did not inhale more of it. He had not expected such an honest and nearly self-deprecating confession from the girl. Did she really think Itachi was far better than her? Sure, the Hokage was no stranger to the many people who envied Itachi for his skill and goodness, but Touya hadn't seemed like the type to compare herself to him. He coughed, trying to rid the awkward silence that had ensued in the moment he had been taken back. With a smile of encouragement, the Hokage started to talk again.

"You're a good person too, Touya. Itachi is just… exceptional. But don't compare yourself to him; it'll do you no favors. I may trust him a great deal, but I trust you just as well—just like how I trust everyone in this precious village of mine. But listen to me: show up for your summons next time."

Now Touya was taken back at the Hokage's advice. She had not meant much with the comment about Itachi being better than her, but the Hokage was being so encouraging and kind towards her, it felt almost overdone. Shouldn't the Hokage be disgusted with her after how she did the ninja equivalent of a schoolchild skipping class? Instead she was being offered a second chance and words of comfort.

And that, well, made her kind of… uncomfortable.

The truth was she had not wanted to be an ANBU operative in the beginning. She served a different master. But her master wanted someone to infiltrate the main branch of ANBU so he could have someone everywhere. And she was chosen. And even if she didn't care much for the Hokage or the ANBU, she did care about her master and it was her master's will she would follow.

But the Hokage was kind.

And Itachi, also an ANBU, was good to her. He smiled a lot, was polite, and listened to her talk about things—anything.

This was a different environment from what she was used to, but it was a new, sparkling different. A promising kind of different. Something different that, if it wasn't better, would at least expand her world. She was... enjoying the prospect.

"I will never do it again, Hokage-sama," she vowed.

The Hokage looked at her benignly. She was a good kid. He could trust her.

"Good. Now, your mission was to come see me to pick something up, wasn't it? Here you go," the Hokage remarked as he tossed her a package.

Instinctively, she caught it with a jolt of surprise.

A bundle of clothing tied with a red string.

"Open it."

She did. A black shirt made from flexible material, a durable gray jacket, metal arm guards, spiked sandals, and a porcelain mask with unique markings tumbled into her hands.

Her ANBU uniform.

"Try it on to make sure it fits. The women's bathrooms are down the stairs to the left. Let me know if there are any problems. Ah, wait, one last thing…"

The Hokage walked over to his desk, rummaged his drawer for something before exclaiming a satisfactory "ah" when he found it. He beckoned her over so Touya tucked all her clothes under one arm and walked over to him.

It was a stamp of some sort. A metal stamp. It began to glow red as though it had been heated. And as it turned out, it _was_ heated.

"This is going to hurt."

But Touya did not even wince as he pressed the hot iron stamp against her shoulder.

When he removed the stamp, she realized he burned into her the Konoha ANBU tattoo: the reddish circular marks resembling both a leaf and a flame.

It felt like a declaration. Like this was a final, she was ANBU. This was the Hokage's mark of approval. He really decided to trust her.

She gingerly touched her new tattoo; it hurt. She lifted her eyes to the Hokage who smiled at her apologetically.

Then she was dismissed.

* * *

She walked out of the building decked out in her brand new uniform. Despite the metal guards on her hands, it felt lighter than her last uniform.

Or maybe she just felt lighter now.

* * *

 **A/N** : Oh my god, this chapter was so long.

I thought about splitting it in two, but Itachi doesn't appear in the second half so I was afraid you guys might get bored.

I think it's pretty obvious who Touya serves, but we'll see if I can surprise one or two people :)


	3. Promises and Loyalty

**Chapter 3: Promises and Loyalty**

By the time Touya made it back to her apartment complex, it was late. She had trained for a couple hours so she could get used to the weight of her new jacket and wrist guards after leaving the Hokage's office. She took a few laps around the training grounds and did a bit of sparring practice before suddenly realizing the sky had gone dark and she was sore all over.

At this point, most of the civilians were probably just getting ready to go to bed. Touya sighed longingly. She could use some rest too after the practice session. A hot shower, some warm milk, maybe some light reading, and then she'll fall asleep curled up in blankets.

 _Sounds good_ , she thought pleasantly, immediately uplifted by the prospect of peace, quiet, and rest. She took her keys out, listening absentmindedly to the jangles as she fiddled around to find the right one.

Suddenly—

"Hey."

" _Son of a_ —!" Touya cursed, promptly dropping her keys. Fortunately, she reacted fast enough to grab them again before the keys hit the floor.

"Oh, nice save," Kakashi praised mockingly.

Touya was not amused. She clutched the keys to her chest tightly as she glared at the man sitting on the railing of the balcony. She was a _ninja_ for gods' sake; how can she be startled by this asshole? Embarrassed to have been caught off guard, she bit her lip and quickly tried to change the subject.

"What do you want?" Touya demanded heatedly, red creeping up on her face. Fortunately, the nightfall worked in her favor and Kakashi didn't notice. She breathed a small sigh of relief. Spared from Kakashi for once.

"I'm just checking up on you," Kakashi answered innocently. "The uniform looks good on you. Two extra sets should arrive tomorrow so you can keep a few sets in the closet just in case."

"I see," Touya said shortly. "Thanks." She made the move to unlock her door, go into her apartment, and end the conversation there. She still hadn't forgotten Kakashi basically called her a worthless ninja in front of Itachi earlier that day and even if Kakashi couldn't see her face in the darkness, her tone of voice gave it away. As she jammed the key into the hole, Kakashi resumed speaking.

"Still angry?" Kakashi asked nonchalantly.

"What do you think?" Touya mumbled.

"Don't be such a child. You ran away from your mission first."

Touya's hand froze just as she was about to turn the door knob. That was _hours ago!_ He should just let it go.

"I already apologized," she muttered indignant again.

"I know. I forgive you so you forgive me?" Kakashi suggested almost childishly.

That was not the response she was expecting and Touya backed up instinctively as Kakashi stepped between her and the door and then extended a hand like a dog asking for a handshake. Kakashi was really trying to maximize his charm in order to win her forgiveness.

Touya shot a nasty look at the gloved hand, obviously signaling that she had no intention of making amends so easily. But Kakashi wasn't relenting. He just stood there like a statue as he patiently waited for Touya to come around to accept his proposition.

And waited, he did.

They remained at odds for a while with Touya stubbornly refusing to move and Kakashi being overly friendly, nearly jabbing his hand of reconciliation in her side.

"You should know that I'm not letting you in your apartment until you shake my hand."

The glare intensified, but Kakashi only radiated more warmth. They were at a standstill.

Several minutes went by before finally, Touya threw her hands up and gave in.

"Fine," Touya groaned exasperatedly. "You win."

"Great," Kakashi said cheerfully.

Silence.

"…Well?" Touya said impatiently.

"Well, what?"

"Let me through."

"I still have a few more questions."

"God damn it."

Kakashi smiled again, amused. And then, in a patronizing parental voice:

"How'd your meeting go?"

"Fine."

"What did you talk about with the Hokage?"

"Things."

"Wow, wish I was there. Sounds like a delight."

Touya sighed. "We talked about loyalty, ANBU stuff… and Itachi."

Oh, this was interesting. "So what do you think about Itachi?"

The Hokage _literally_ asked the exact same question. Why does everyone care what she thinks of Itachi? She had _just_ met him. "He's fine."

"One of the finest, actually. But… loyalty, eh? Should I assume I already know where your loyalty lies?" He meant her master of course.

That caught Touya by surprised. "Yes, of course. Why would it have changed?"

Touya seemed so genuinely confused, Kakashi wondered if she really couldn't comprehend the idea of serving anyone but her master. Still, he chose to respond seriously. "Things can change, Touya."

Touya gave a thoughtful look before speaking again. "Don't get me wrong, senpai. I'm more open to working with the ANBU now than before. Itachi seems nice and the Hokage seems reasonable. So I will be happy to accept this mission my master gave me, but if my master ordered me to assassinate one of them—well, there's no doubt I would fail—I would still not hesitate to attempt their life. I give my life to my master because it belongs to him." Then, more softly, Touya added, "He created this life I'm living now. I'm grateful to him."

Kakashi listened without saying anything. The truth was that he liked Touya as a person. She was a talented ninja and quite sensible when she wasn't being a stubborn child (but he assumed she'll be much more level-headed once she grew out of her teenaged years). So he wanted her to change loyalties—from her master to the village. She would be a useful asset to the Hokage, if they could win her over. And she would be treated better; she could make friends, learn a thing or two about teamwork, and develop a sense of loyalty to the village itself. And now was the best time to try it. This was Touya's chance to escape from her master and he wanted Touya to take it. And he was going to do best to make sure she does.

"So you're still aligned with him then?"

"Yes. Master will be checking on my progress in a week," Touya smiled.

Kakashi didn't react. He wished Touya could just realize that even if the man saved her, he wasn't as benevolent a person she thought he was. But now wasn't the time to push it. "Okay."

"Is that all, senpai?"

"Yeah. Good night, Touya." Kakashi supposed he should tell the Hokage to hold off on putting Touya on any confidential ANBU missions for now.

* * *

It's a week before Itachi saw Touya again. He was picking up Sasuke at the Academy, but he ended up early again. Usually, this would mean a circle around the block and maybe dropping by the nearby bakery for some snacks, but then he sensed duplicate chakra signatures. Both were located in the Academy building.

 _One must be Touya_ , he realized.

But why was she here?

She was mimicking one of the teachers' signatures. And since one signature was in the classroom and the other was wandering the halls, he guessed the wandering one was Touya and the classroom one was the teacher. He turned to walk down the corridor, chasing after the presumed Touya.

He found her quickly. A female figure cladded in black was strolling down the leftmost hall.

"Touya."

The girl walking in front jumped in surprise.

"Itachi," she greeted uncertainly. "I thought I sensed you. But what are you doing here?"

"Picking up my little brother," Itachi answered. He noticed she was holding stacks of paper and had a pen tucked behind her ear when she turned around. Was she doing clerical work? But why at the Academy?

"Oh. You're early; none of the classes dismiss yet," Touya smiled. It was cute that the almighty, all-knowing Itachi made time for his brother. Everyone has a weakpoint, she guessed. "I'll walk you to the classroom. Which class is your little brother in?"

"Tatsuka-sensei's class," Itachi replied. He bent his neck to the left, indicating it was that way.

"Tatsuka-sensei? What a coincidence; I'm heading that way too. I'm working under Tatsuka-sensei now actually."

"Really?" the young Uchiha had to contain his surprise. Why was she working as a teaching assistant? She would be infinitely more useful on the field with her ability, wouldn't she?

"Yeah, the Hokage assigned me here. Temporary assignment, of course. I think he just wants to build up some sort of relationship with me by keeping me close by where he can watch me. Say, if I treat the kids well, then he'll trust me more and _then_ I'll take on actual ANBU missions. For now, I guess I'll have to deal with it until I gain his full trust," Touya shrugged. It seemed she didn't mind too much—almost like she had expected this sort of treatment.

But the Hokage had never kept Itachi at bay. In fact, that sort of cautious, distrusting treatment happened to few ninja, if any. Itachi had known and worked with the Hokage since he was a mere genin. Their mutual trust naturally occurred. It worked that way most of the time: as you climb up the ranks, the more closely you work with the Hokage, and thus a natural buildup of trust occurs.

So if Touya was treated more of an outsider, that meant she must have been working under someone else before transferring to ANBU. Who could that have been?

"Did you work under someone else before ANBU? Maybe a group not led by the Hokage?" Itachi asked curiously.

"Yeah, actually," Touya replied honestly. At this point, should she even be surprised Itachi can deduce so much so quickly? Everyone seemed to worship this kid. Honestly, after hearing all the things Kakashi and the Hokage had to say about this guy, Touya would be disappointed if Itachi wasn't _at least_ an all-seeing, all-powerful god.

"What group?" Itachi prodded.

"Uh…" Touya wondered if it was okay to tell him. Well, it should be fine as long as Itachi thought she was no longer working for them, right? Even if she's only faking the whole loyal-ANBU-member thing now, Itachi didn't have to know that.

"It was—" but she never got to finish, because the door to Tatsuka-sensei's room swung open and a shrill voice cut her mid-sentence.

"Nii-san!" A pint-sized boy with short spiky hair rushed towards Itachi with open arms, nearly knocking Touya off balance and sending all her papers flying.

"Sasuke," Itachi smiled, embracing the boy.

 _Nii-san?_ Wait a minute—

"What the hell—Of course, _you're_ the genius big brother Sasuke brags about all the time," Touya looked ready to bang her head against the wall. "How did I not make the connection?"

"Genius big brother?" Itachi repeated in confusion.

"What, ANBU captain at 13 not good enough for you? Is mastering the Sharingan at your age too low-leveled for you?" Touya waved her hand sarcastically.

Itachi laughed modestly. He was flattered, especially since it came from Touya whom he barely knew at this point, but what really got him was Sasuke. "You talk about me, Sasuke?"

"S-Sometimes," Sasuke pouted. "I talk about how you train with me!"

"I think he loves you," Touya whispered, scandalized. Itachi shrugged it off, laughing all the while.

"And what, you don't?" he glanced at her, nearly smirking, which caught her by surprise.

"You're okay," Touya waved dismissively with a laugh.

Sasuke interrupted their banter with a loud, very intentional cough.

"Why are you _flirting_ "—he said this with utter disgust—"with this girl, nii-san? You can do better. Not even pretty. Now Michiko-nee-san, on the other hand—"

"Sasuke," Itachi warned. Sasuke wasn't usually so tactless around people. "Sorry," he apologized to Touya on behalf of Sasuke. Touya didn't seem to take much offense though as she rolled her eyes.

"You're not much of a looker yourself, Sasuke."

"That's not true!"

"It is when we compare you to your big brother."

Itachi blinked.

Meanwhile, Sasuke looked absolutely offended. Probably had something to do with being compared to his big brother. But Itachi chuckled as Sasuke started beating at Touya's legs angrily, looking like he wanted to swear, but not in front of his brother. On the other hand, Touya didn't even seem to notice she had in turn complimented Itachi.

Well, even if the Hokage didn't trust Touya much, Itachi felt like he did after watching her interact with Sasuke. But it was time to go.

"Sasuke, don't bother Touya. Let's go home now," Itachi beckoned. Sasuke immediately brightened up.

"Yeah! Bye, Touya-sensei, you bully!"

"Yes, see you, Touya- _sensei_ ," Itachi laughed, letting the honorific linger playfully.

Touya frowned, but waved at them nonetheless. "Bye, children."

"Ah, wait, we never finished our talk," Itachi suddenly remembered with a jolt. The group Touya had worked for—who were they?

"Huh? What were we talking about?" Touya asked bewildered. Seemed like she doesn't remember.

Itachi shook his head mellowly. "Never mind. But if you're free tomorrow, how about some sparring? Training grounds by the river around four?"

Touya's eyes lit up. Maybe she liked rivers or something. "Alright," she agreed eagerly.

Itachi nodded. "See you then."

* * *

"Sasuke, what do you think of Touya?" Itachi asked, once they were out of the building.

The little duck-haired boy looked up. Was Itachi seriously taking an interest in this girl?

"She's a bully."

Itachi chuckled. "Is she now?" he indulged mildly.

"Yes. I mean, who cares that my stance is a little off? My kunai still connects! I should throw it at her! See what she thinks of my stance then!"

It seemed that asking Sasuke was no use, but it was pretty funny regardless.

"Now, now, Sasuke," Itachi said calmly, though inwardly laughing.

Sasuke paused. "But she's okay. Not as good as you though. Hey, you should teach me how to throw kunai! That'll show her!"

With a smile, he assured him, "Another time, Sasuke."

"That's what you always say, but you never do," Sasuke crossed his arms in annoyance.

"Another time, Sasuke. I promise." And he flicked the young boy's forehead.

* * *

 **A/N:** As I write these chapters, I realize they're not actually that long; I'm just not used to writing so much.

Hope you enjoyed! I think it's pretty annoying that I keep using the word "master" over and over again to hide who Touya's working for. So you know what? Next chapter, all will be revealed. I promise. /flicks forehead

Last chance to guess who Touya's working for! Leave me your thoughts and reasons in a review ;)


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